BRUCKNER DETOX
CENTER OPPOSED
cents
New owner:
I’m developing wellness center
A sense of concern and outrage
is brewing in Throggs
Neck about a possible conversion
of an offi ce building into
an unwanted use.
Commercial tenants at
2800 Bruckner Boulevard received
letters to vacate the
property, and community
leaders have formed a coalition
to fi ght a possible alcohol
Westchester Square reels over vagrants
ulder during a confrontation
Continued on Page 67
Continued on Page 67
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, S 10 EPTEMBER 20-26, 2019 BTR
BY ARLENE GRAUER
Hope you all enjoyed
the summer and
created some happy
memories. Well it’s
September and back
to work, although the
CCCA Board and some
members continued to
work on important issues during the
summer, namely the re-routing of the
Bx24 and the Bx8, which we understand
will now be maintaining their
original routes.
The CCCA and Country Club residents
were the fi rst to confront the
MTA en masse, showing up with a
petition containing hundreds of signatures
at the fi rst MTA community
meeting on June 19. The MTA was little
prepared for such a presence and
was unaware that the Bx24 routing on
Stadium Avenue was tried ten years
ago and failed.
Councilmember Mark Gjonaj was
also surprised when he entered P.S. 71,
as he was mobbed by upset community
members, who’s ire was turned toward
him. The councilmember patiently
listened to each person and took copious
notes, also accepting the petition
and written commentary from the
crowd and followed up with us during
the summer. Along with our sister
communities of Spencer
Estate and Throggs
Neck, we continued to
bombard the MTA with
letters and survey responses
following the
meeting. We understand
that some details still
need to be addressed
and we await this information. In the
meantime, we thank Councilmember
Gjonaj and Assemblymember Michael
Benedetto for their intercession, as
well as the staff of Senator Alessandra
Biaggi’s offi ce.
Our next endeavors will be the fall
clean-up and triangle planting the third
weekend in October, then onto planning
our Christmas party. Please come prepared
with some new ideas to brighten
our community. Our next meeting will
be September 25, 7:30 p.m., at the Villa
Maria Academy lunchroom, located at
3335 Country Club Road.
The association can be reached at
our new email address cccabronx@
gmail.com, via postal mail at P.O. Box
211, Bronx, N.Y. 10465, or by telephone
at (718) 823-1814. Follow and like us on
Facebook at www.facebook.com/countryclubcivicassoc.
Please remember, “Take pride in
your community. Your home extends
beyond your property line!”
40th Precinct
Sunday, September 15 at 11:00 p.m. - Seven
individuals approached a 52-year old victim by
of 536 E. 149th Street, threw him to the ground and
proceeded to stab him multiple times about his body
before fleeing the location.
EMS also responded to the location and transported
the victim to an area hospital in stable condition.
44th Precinct
Friday, August 30 at 8:25 p.m. - Two individuals
approached at 30-year-old male victim in the vicinity
of W. 174th Street and Selwyn Avenue and displayed
a firearm. One individual proceeded to point
the firearm at the victim, prompting the victim to attempted
to gain control of the weapon and resist. A
shot was fired during the scuffle, striking the victim
in the right knee. EMS responded and transported
the victim to an area hospital in stable condition. The
individuals are described as both male, black, one
wearing a black Nike sweatshirt and one wearing
Adidas pants.
Monday, August 26 at 12:59 a.m. - An unknown
individual entered a Metro PCS store at 1343
Ogden Avenue through the front door and removed
6 cellular phones and electronic equipment with a
total worth of $1,800 inside of, before fleeing to an
unknown location.
The individual is described as a male Hispanic,
18 to 25-years-old, medium complexion, thin build
with short dark hair. He was last seen wearing a
white baseball cap, white sneakers and a black Air
Jordan tracksuit.
46th Precinct
Sunday, September 15 at 9:40 p.m. - A
34-year-old male victim was approached by two
unidentified individuals leaving subway station at
Grand Concourse and East 182 Street. One of the
individuals demanded cash and displayed a firearm
and removed the victim’s gold chain when he didn’t
comply. Both individuals fled and are described as
a male, black, roughly 100 lbs. and was last seen
wearing black pants and a black shirt, the other was
described as a Hispanic man.
Friday, September 13 at 5:08 p.m. - Police responded
to a 911 call of a foul smell emanating from
apartment at 2323 Creston Avenue . Upon entry they
discovered a man who was unconscious and unresponsive
with his ankles bound to his waist. The
male also had slash marks on his wrists and torso.
EMS responded and pronounced the man dead on
the scene. A 37-year-old man, Charles Votaw who
lived in apartment 11A of the building was charged
with assault 2, concealment of a human corpse and
tampering with physical evidence.
Wednesday, September 11, at 7:25 p.m. - A
42-year-old male victim was approached by two
unidentified individuals who forcibly removed his
necklace in front of 66 E. Burnside Avenue. The victim
suffered laceration to his right arm and refused
medical attention. The unidentified individuals described
a two black menin their late teens to early
twenties.
48th Precinct
Monday, September 2, 2019 at approximately
7:10 a.m. - An unidentified individual entered the
location and approached a 22-year-old man victim
behind the counter inside of Ali and Son Candy Grocery
located at 738 E. 182nd Street. The individual
displayed a firearm and forcibly removed an undetermined
amount of currency. The unidentified male
fled the location on foot northbound on East 182nd
Street and Clinton Avenue. There were no injuries
reported as a result of this incident.
The individual is described as male black, approximately
18 to 23 years of age, 6’0” and 170 lbs.
He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt
with a white design affixed to the front of it and
black pants.
Assault suspect in the 44th Precinct. DCPI
Assault suspects in the 40th precinct. DCPI
Robbery suspects in the 46th Precicnt. DCPI WE’LL FETCH IT FOR YOU
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While Bronxites prepared
to take a ‘bite out of crime’
at the annual August 1 Night
Out Against Crime, one crook
turned that around and took
a bite out of a local merchant
who tried to interrupt his
thievery.
A.M.A.F. Fashion business
owner Abdul Sol felt more
than an impact to his quality
of life on the morning of Sunday,
July 9, when a shoplifter
tried to leave his store with
a bag of clothing and Sol sufered
a severe bite on his left
rearm and a dislocated right
with the man.
At his 25 Westchester
Square store, Sol recalled how
the shoplifter had on previous
customer.
occasions
been a paying “He spent money here,
it’s not like I never saw him
before,” Sol said. “He came
around two or three months
ago and bought a pair of
shoes.”
But the Sunday of the assault,
the suspect asked for a
shopping bag, grabbed stuff,
and tried to leave, according
to Sol.
“I told him, ‘No, you can’t
take my stuff.’”
A fi ght ensued and Sol said
he “went to the ground with
him. I hurt my shoulder. He
took a big bite in my arm. I was
at the hospital until 6 o’clock. I
still have pain in my shoulder.
I still can’t lift my left arm.”
Sol said he had seen the
shoplifter associate with patients
from the Bronx Psychiatric
Center, so he fi gured he
was a client.
As Bronx Psychiatric Center,
on Waters Place, continues
to release its patients on
the street during the day, they
interact with homeless people
and drug rehab program.
Complaints have been
fi led with the city about beds
being moved into the building
or illegally converting it
into a residential building,
with some folks planning to
take legal action against the
landlord because they have
leases, according to multiple
sources.
Homeowners and renters
are also circulating petitions
to protest what appears to be
“a substance-abuse rehabilitation
program recruiting
staff” to work in the building
and lack of community notice
or engagement on what
may be sited at 2800 Bruckner
Boulevard.
“The community is defi -
nitely mobilized,” said Steven
Kaufman, an attorney who
is leading the Throggs Neck
Strong coalition looking into
the matter, adding “I believe
with mobilization, we might
be able to stop what they want
to do.”
Tenants in the building
say they got letters over the
last two weeks telling them
to vacate the building by
September, said Bobby Jaen,
Throggs Neck Merchants Association
president and coalition
member.
So far, at least 20 complaints
have been logged with
the NYC Department of Buildings,
including those concerning
“commercial space that is
being turned into residential
space” and those saying tenants
see “beds, dressers, mirrors
and chairs,” being moved
in.
As of press time, a meeting
of the Throggs Neck Strong
coalition has been planned
for the Crosstown Diner on
Thursday, August 3, with Jaen
expecting around 125 people,
following a lot of community
organizing and petitioning
that led to a forceful showing
at an earlier impromptu meeting
on Friday, July 28.
Anthony Mameli, Charles
Ruttenberg Realty’s Bronx
commercial real estate manager,
said the company was
planning a grand opening for
its new offi ce at the building
Bronx Times Reporter
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